University of Toronto launches Institute for Pandemics after donation

TORONTO — The University of Toronto says it has launched a pandemic institute to help shape government responses to the COVID-19 crisis.

The university says the institute will focus on working with public health workforces to help with pandemic preparation and recovery.

It says the institute will also help with Canada’s capacity to model infectious diseases.

The academic body will study how the pandemic has worsened inequality between the rich and poor around the world.

Dean Adalsteinn Brown says academics have the freedom to move faster than governments and are politically neutral, allowing them to help respond quickly to emerging threats.

The Institute for Pandemics was launched after a $1 million donation from Toronto philanthropist Sabina Vohra-Miller.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2020.

The Canadian Press